ABSTRACT
Violence can occur anywhere, anytime, reminding us of our vulnerability to dedicated predators seeking targets for personal revenge, pleasure, profit, or twisted political and religious motives. Violence is not exclusively bred at or beyond our Southern border, as proclaimed by President Trump in his campaign speeches in 2016 and continuing long into his administration. His proclamations of an “invasion of illegals” has generated fear and division among great segments of the country. The power of his position accounts for mainstream and social network news reporting all aspects of the illegal immigrant controversy, even if much of it may not be true, fueling fear among the populace. To further incite fear are the criminal acts, including murder, committed by undocumented immigrants. These criminal acts, when reported by news media, receive wider circulation and interest, fermenting more fear than ordinary criminal violence committed by citizens and legal residents, except, perhaps mass shootings.
